New Service: K-ROMP!

New Service: K-ROMP!

Announcing a new service as of June 8th:  K-ROMP!  K-ROMP is now the name of our Truckee off-leash adventures, in the Tahoe area, or should I say, Paw’ventures 😀

We are excited to share in our adventures on our Facebook page where you can see pictures and videos of our adventures.

If you’re interested in this service, please check out information on this service here and feel free to let us know if you have any questions.  We would be happy to help you!

December Daycare Introductory Offer!

Are you checking out our daycare program and wondering if it’s a good fit for your pup?  Let us help you give us a try by offering you a 15% off introductory discount on your pup’s first day of daycare!

A few little notes:
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  • All pups must meet the requirements listed on our Daycare page (if you’re unsure whether or not your pup meets all of the requirements, just contact us and let us know what your concerns are)
  • Some Fridays and Mondays can be excursion days when we head up to Truckee for some off-leash fun and adventure (at no-extra charge; not all pups will be off-leash)
  • The FREE Woodland Pet Shuttle service is not included with this offer
  • This discount is only for one household, one time, one dog only
  • This discount cannot be combined with other offers or discounts
  • When making your first reservation, please be sure to state the following discount code in order to grab the introductory offer:  DECDAYS
  • To enroll in our daycare program, you need to fill out the Boarding and Daycare Application
  • Offer is for new clients only

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We look forward to meeting you and your pup!

[pullquote_right]If you have any questions about our daycare program, please feel free to contact us via our Facebook page, call/text at (530) 867-5727, email [email protected] or fill out our contact form.[/pullquote_right]

Travel First-Aid Tip for Dogs: Snakebite

Introduction

Warning:  Graphic pictures of snakebite victims within this post!

We are placing a series of travel first aid tips for dogs on our website.  These tips were written for the “Canine Companion – Instructions & First-Aid Tips that came with the Emergency First-Aid & Travel Kit for Dogs by Dr. Brooks Bloomfield of The Doctor’s Office for Pets located in Truckee, California, a well-known, highly-respected veterinarian with over 30 years of superbly practicing veterinary medicine on wildlife and domesticated animals.

Calis-Tale-Once-BittenThere are so many times that we as pet owners long to have a great veterinarian’s advice on-hand 24/7 so that we’re not left with so many questions during stressful situations when something has happened to our beloved pup especially when traveling (doesn’t it always happen that these situations arise on weekends, too, when your veterinarian’s office is closed).

This travel first-aid tip deals with:  Snakebite

“Snakebites are frightening experiences.  Most envenomations in the United States are caused by pit vipers, which include the rattlesnakes, cottonmouth and copperhead. 

Snake venom is actually a combination of toxins and the severity of an envenomation is related to the strength and amount of venom injected, as well as the site. 

The best approach is to keep the patient as quiet as possible and seek immediate veterinary attention.  First aid is of little benefit.  Diphenhydramine (Diphen is included in the kit) may be helpful in lessening both anxiety and some of the reaction but should be given by mouth only to a completely conscious dog, followed by immediate transport.  Sucking, cutting or applying a tourniquet to the area is of no benefit. 

Some signs of snakebite show up after several hours to days so watch any suspected bite victims closely.”

Note:  References to items or supplies noted in the above instructions were made in reference to the supplies that came in the Emergency First-Aid & Travel Kit for Dogs in conjunction with these instructions.

chiefpit

In Honor of Chief

This post in honor of Chief who died protecting his family.

*Images courtesy of petdoctors.co.uk and cesarsway.com.

[pullquote_right]Wishing you and your fur-kids safe and happy travels this summer![/pullquote_right]

A Luxurious Ride with Tempur-Pedic

We’re constantly on the lookout for good deals that meet our needs and we found a GREAT deal in the use of Tempur-Pedic bath mats, which double as a bed and area liner in our “Pooch Mobile”.

Prior to coming across the idea of using a foam bath mat as a liner/dog bed for our truck, we were scouting for reasonably priced foam dog beds. The problems we found (just to name a few) were:
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  • Too big and bulky
  • Too expensive
  • Wasn’t a good fit for muddy paws and wet dogs

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You may be wondering why we were insistent on a foam-based bed and the answer is that our dogs, as well as some regulars we board, are getting up there in years. We wanted where they laid down to be easy on their joints; the inside of the truck was no exception. The difference between the truck and the house is that the truck gets really, really dirty–fast. So, we needed not just a foam bed but a liner for the interior (floor) where the water, dirt and muck wouldn’t ruin the newly-replaced carpet (at least not right away). The foam bath mats was just the trick!

The foam bath mats have a rubber lining and a foam top pad! It was the perfect solution for us so we bought–a few 😉  We purchased six to cover the entire area but could’ve gotten away with just buying five at the cost of $20 each mat.

The real test of this idea came when it was time for the dogs to “load up” for an outdoor hiking adventure (when dogs stay with us, we’re hiking, swimming and performing some serious outdoor adventures). And, what a difference these pads made! What we noticed right away was as follows:
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  • The dogs immediately wanted to lay down (even the younger ones that like to stand)
  • The dirt and hair was surprisingly easy to remove (you can always dry shampoo the mats, too, at your local car wash)
  • The pads kept everything from reaching the carpet (even wet paws)

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If you’re interested in purchasing some of these bath mats to try out for yourselves, you may be able to find a much better deal than we did. However, we went to Big Lots! to get ours because they are right down the road from us and generally have some pretty good deals most of the time.

We’ll probably end up getting more for the inside of the house, as well as, the deck.  Our dogs always love to lay on our Yoga mats the moment we pull them out for a workout so we’re thinking that they really enjoy the Tempur-Pedic mats just laying around the house 🙂

If you have any ideas that have worked out great for you, feel free to share in the way of a comment!

Training for Off-Leash

Many people want their dogs to be able to go off-leash for many reasons, e.g., a better workout for the dogs and being free from having to hold a leash are just but a couple of them.  People’s methods for training their dogs to run off-leash vary from person to person at least so we’ve found.  That being said, the following article is how we train our dogs to run off-leash.

It’s important to note that there is no cookie-cutter method for training dogs.  Dogs are quite unique and different from each other; therefore, they respond differently to different techniques.

To make this article an easy-read, we’ve outlined our strategy, for training dogs, using the following format.

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  1. Basic Commands: We want to make sure that basic training has been established and our dog is proficient at performing basic commands along with hand signals (preferably), not just verbal-only commands.  The basic commands that we’re referring to are “come”, “sit”, “down”, “wait” and “stay”.  (Some people use either “wait” or “stay” and others use both depending on the situation they’re in.  For example, we use “stay” if the dogs are heeling and before the command “go” is given, which is the command that gives them permission to run ahead of us to explore if we will.  If they’re having fun ahead of us and we need them to stop where they’re at (prior to possibly giving them the command to “come” back), we say “wait” (some may use “stop”, we use “wait”).Note:  Dogs being proficient at understanding and operating with these basic commands will keep them safe while they’re running off-leash and keep we in control.
  2. Leash Training: While we’re busy working on training the dogs using basic commands (by the way, we constantly use these commands each day…they’re continually in use), we also are busy walking the dogs on leash making sure to walk them correctly [on leash] (big point here!).  We want to make sure that our dog heels next to us (a good measuring point is making sure that in your peripheral vision, you cannot see your dog next to you because he/she is far enough behind you to be heeling correctly).  Why do we do this?  This is a constant reinforcement that the humans are the pack leaders, not the dogs.  Chaos ensues if a dog has taken the position of Alpha over humans.  When this happens, other issues usually develop such as aggression issues (fear or dominant aggression).
  3. Trial Runs: After we have determined that their training has been accomplished and the dog is ready to start the next phase, before we just ‘let ‘em loose’, we do some trial runs first in a contained, fenced area.We take a long training leash or a retractable leash giving them the command to “go”.  When the dog is sniffing around about 15’ or so from us, we give it the command to “come”.  The response should be immediate.  Once the dog starts to walk toward us, we simply verbally praise it.  When it reaches us, we give it a hug and tell it to “sit”.  Why the extra command to sit you might ask?  We’re trying to keep the energy down to a low-roar.  We don’t want to get the dog so hyped up on praise that it gets flighty or loses focus.  It’s simply praise followed by a direct command to do something else (sit, stay, down, etc.).
  4. The Next Level: At this stage of the game, the dog is very responsive to us.  It knows that we’re the leaders and we mean what we say.  Since dogs always want to please and be an effective member of the pack, the dog will respond—gladly.Okay, so the last thing we do is do a mock run on a trail.  The dog is still on a retractable but we want to make absolutely sure that in the woods and with many distractions, the dog’s recall is what it should be.  It most always is at this stage but it never hurts to make absolutely certain that he/she is ready to launch.
  5. I’m Free! This is the point where all of our work is finished and our pup is trained.  This is our point where we can exhale, laugh and really bond with our dogs like never before!

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Note:  Some may be wondering if it’s necessary to use a remote shock collar.  Sometimes, it is necessary to train a dog using the remote shock but only for training on a short-term basis, not long-term where they’re constantly having to wear it.  Once the dog is trained, it should be able to go without it.  Cases where the remote shock might be a necessary tool to use are for dogs with high prey drives, dogs that have been flight risks in the past (mostly speaking of rescues here)…just to name a couple of examples.

A Morning Treat

A dog’s daily, psychological diet always consists of a cool morning walk.   Naturally, dogs are all about adventure and intrigue especially in the morning (dogs wake up with a new batch of energy each day that needs to be drained).  They love to explore new smells and areas on a daily basis.  Knowing this, we like to surprise our dogs with a little off-leash time as a reward.

It goes without saying that certain conditions for dogs going off-leash must be met.  They must be under voice command at all times (it’s good to have the basic commands well-understood prior to letting your dog off-leash to include:  Sit, stay, and down), have zero aggression and be up-to-date on all of their shots.

A little off-leash romp when applicable can also be turned into a training refresher course!  Therefore, always make the most of the time you spend with your dog reinforcing command skills they already know; introducing new commands they need to know; playing a game of fetch or other breed-specific exercise in order to feed that part of their personality that needs to be fed.

Associating multiple forms of exercise (mental, physical and emotional) all at once will drain your dog’s energy completely.  They will feel satisfied, content–and tired.

[pullquote_right]Engage every facet of your dog’s personality in order to effectively drain their energy.[/pullquote_right]

Pure Fun

Dogs have a great time exploring and it really drains them of their energy. They are ‘couch potatoes’ afterwards!

Love for…

…the little guys. Even the little guys participate in the off-leash adventures. They can often be found being held.

Larry and Marley

Marley loves her off-leash adventures especially when Uncle Larry joined in.

Pet Sitters…

…in training. The pack and the kids during an off-leash adventure–a service that KYPSAH provided while in Truckee.